Depending On A Rival (edit)
by Angel midlight
Summary: What do you do when the only person who can save you is your rival?
1. Chapter 1

Depending on a rival chapter 1

"Naruto, I need your help!" Sakura gasped trying desperately to drag air into her lungs.

"What is it Sakura that you need to pull me away from my ramen?"

"Sasuke needs your help, he's in danger!" She took of lightning fast.

"What," Naruto chugged the ramen and chased after her, "how could the all powerful Sasuke be in trouble?" He spat out, you could hear the poison in his voice, referring to her earlier words in the park. For all the answering he was getting he could have been talking to a wall. They rounded the corner at top speed and almost ran straight into Sasuke. Naruto smirked.

"He looks fine to me." Sakura fixed him with a death glare.

"Look more closely." Studying the Uchiha's body he still couldn't identify the problem, he wasn't bleeding and nothing seemed to be broken, it wasn't till he realized that the man was barely standing that alarms went off in his head.

_Why, if Sasuke's not bleeding, did the alley stink with the thick scent of blood and burned flesh? _

"Sasuke what happened, a moment ago you had been bloody and now u look just fine?"

"He must have made you see something that's not real. As I'm sure you can tell, I am just fine." Sasuke answered calmly. Sakura seemed convinced but bells were still going off in Naruto's brain.

_If the person who made Sakura see things was here then there would have been a battle and yet there is no sign of one but, if the person wasn't here why didn't Sasuke break the illusion himself?_

"Sakura come here for a second." Looking up she meant Naruto's gaze, not understanding the mistrust she found in them. Deciding it was better just to see what he wanted she walked up to him. Naruto bent slightly so that he could whisper in Sakura's ear. The movement caused blush to spread across her face but she didn't move away.

"No matter what happens you have to play along. Now start giggling." He spoke while straightening. Naruto turned to Sasuke and winked.

"I'm sorry about our plans to hang out but, I have to spend some alone time with someone." Sakura, taking this as a cue to blush, thought of all the embarrassing things she'd ever done until she felt her face grow hot. Knowing that a blush was spreading across her face she added a girly giggle. Sasuke held his fist out for a dap.

"Have fun man."

_I knew it, this can't be the real Sasuke!_

Sasuke turned just in time to see Sakura's fist pull back before he was knocked into a wall, leaving a dent as he slowly slid down.

"What the hell was that for?" He turned to Naruto for an explanation, only to take his right hook in the face. Sprawled out on the ground unable to move he looked up.

"Where is Sasuke?" The strength in the pink haired woman's voice said more than her words, as she glared death and destruction at him. He looked at Naruto for help and only found hard, angry, cold blue eyes looking back.

_Well shit they saw through my transformation._

"Out of your reach." He said before disappearing.

_Damn it, as soon as I finally bring him back someone takes him away._

His whole body shook as he sat huddled in the corner of the cell.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke's asked the shaking man. The man didn't reply, only sat there shaking.

"They drained him of his clan's ability and with it took his sanity, as he was already hanging on by a thin thread before the drain."

Sasuke looked toward the sound of the voice.

"He may be crazy but at least he was strong enough to survive. Both form a mental and physical point of view the drain is hell." The lady spoke. There was only moon light and so it was hard to make her out.

"You should rest, tomorrow is going to be your first day as a Kalan prisoner."

"But…Wait who are you?" the new captive's voice suddenly filled with miss trust.

"There is time for that tomorrow, now rest." The hidden lady's voice was still sweet but now also had the edge of a commander in it. Deciding that if she had wanted him dead he would be already, Sasuke found the least vulnerable place in the cell and promptly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello people! So I'm a new writer and I totally understand if you think I suck :P feel free to review and give your opinion even if you're a guest(it would really help) ok now that I have an excuse for sucking please enjoy chapter 2 :D

Depending on a rival chapter 2

_If I kill them will I become stronger? Is the death of others really empowering me? I have given up so much and taken so much from others, so why can I still not defeat him? No, I am too weak, I could never hope to defeat him. Even when I thought I had broken all of my old bonds and weakness, I still secretly wanted to keep my bonds even if it meant I was weak. I have failed to avenge my clan._

"I know you are awake, so get up." Slowly Sasuke moved into a sitting position with his back against the wall. He eyed the girl before him. She wore some type of weird outfit. A one sleeve half top with a low net covered neckline and a skirt with one leg completely covered by the pants underneath, a ruby choker completing the outfit. The covered arm and leg were opposites (left arm covered, right leg covered). Her long black hair was tied up, yet still rolled down her back stopping just at the waist. Looking up at her from his siting position, he found dark brown eyes with flicks of purple staring down at him. Suddenly he remembered the voice from yesterday and made the connection.

"Who are you?" The Uchiha's voice held venom and hostility. He glared at her, doing his best to be intimidating. The lady sat on the floor directly in front of him, completely unaffected by his glare nor venom.

"My name is Anastasia of the Shizen clan. Who are you?"

"Sasuke of the Uchiha clan. Shizen… that means nature right?" She smiled warmly at him.

"Yes, yes it does. I wonder what powerful ability the Uchiha clan must hold in order to end up here?" Sasuke was suddenly alert, venom slipped back into his voice and mistrust into his eyes.

"How would you know that my clan holds any powerful abilities?"

"I told you before, this place was made to drain people of their clan's ability. They would have no use for a weak ability and so, those that are brought here have a fairly powerful ability." This answer seemed to satisfy him, as he visually relaxed.

"I am a user of the sharingan." Her expression showed that she had no idea what a sharingan was and he was not about to tell her. "If what you say is true than what powerful ability do the Shizen hold?"

_At least this way if I have to fight her I know what I'm up against while she does not._

"I have power over nature as the clan name suggest." Sasuke was now confused, anyone who wanted to could learn to use nature. Seeing the look on Sasuke's face she laughed.

"Allow me to explain. The Shizen can control nature its self, not only the elements, but things such as trees as well. Of course most only control one or two things." A small light of understanding flickered in his eyes. The sun was rising bathing the area in soft colors of orange and pink.

"Marco will be up soon so I can introduce you." Anastasia began to stand but, Sasuke pulled her back down.

"Where am I." Anastasia instantly felt stupid,_ of course the man would want to know where he is and what this place was._

"I don't know the location, as we are always kept inside. I can, however, tell you that we are far away from any known villages. You are in the Kalan prison. As I mentioned before, this place is meant to drain you of your clan ability. After the drain you normally are kept for a week more or so and then your set free to fend for yourself. For those like me whose clan ability can't be taken, you become a permanent prisoner and slave."

_Slave? I see, so while we are imprisoned we are forced to work. How do they make sure that a captive does not rebel?_

Deciding to voice the question and ask what kind of work they did he opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by a young man walking toward him. He couldn't have been older than sixteen, only a few years younger than himself, and Sasuke watched as the young man eyed him. Finally the boy walks over to Anastasia and sits beside her.

"Who's the ugly guy?" His voice had a bite to it for reasons Sasuke did not understand.

_I'm the one trapped here confused, curious, and irritated so I get to act bitchy. What's your excuse? _

He watched as Anastasia gave him a disapproving glare before explaining who he was. Sasuke couldn't help but let his eyes look their fill of her body. The only thing keeping him from doing so before was the magnetic draw her eyes seemed to have. Her full breast, tiny waist and apple bottom leading to slim, toned legs memorized him.

_The things I could do to that oh so curved and fit body….._

Shaking his head mentally, he cursed himself. Now was not the time to be thinking about those things.

"Now what Naruto? How are we gonna find Sasuke?" Sakura's whining was starting to annoy him.

_Well you could start by shutting the hell up!_

"First, why don't we get out of this place and go somewhere we can make a plan?" He was going to have to sit down and think. The only things he knew so far was: 1. only a handful of trusted people could know about this and 2. If this information leaked out Sasuke would be assumed a traitor again and hunted down like an animal, orders to kill on sight.

"Ok! Let's go to my place it's just a block or two away." Sakura, clearly happy to be helping in some way, hurried down the street forcing Naruto to run in order to keep up. They made it to Sakura's house fairly quickly. She unlocked the door and ushered Naruto inside. Stepping inside, he scanned his immediate surroundings and plopped down on the couch closest to him.

_First I need to figure out who can be trusted with this information._

"Let's think about who we can tell about this," knowing what her first suggestion would be he quickly added, "It should only be people who won't report it to the hokage." Sakura stopped with her mouth open. Then understanding seemed to dawn on her. Sitting down next to Naruto, she began to think.

"Also, we should involve as few people as possible. Meaning those that we tell will need to be very useful and skilled." Naruto thought aloud.

"How about Neji, he is useful and skilled?" Sakura seemed pleased with herself at the idea.

"Yes, also Shikamaru would be a useful addition." The only other person they could count on who meant the requirements was Sai, who is out on a mission.

_Just the four of us then, is that enough to rescue Sasuke? Hopefully he will be in fighting condition and any others who may be with him can help to. Well, it's all we have so we're going to have to make it work!_

"That would be all of us, just us four." Naruto's voice didn't hold much confidence and didn't help ease Sakura's troubled mind. Sakura hugged herself. Feeling her body shift Naruto turned to her. Sakura's doubt was written on her face and engraved in her gaze. Pulling her into his arms he said, "We will rescue him, I just got him back and I be damned if I let someone take him."

Naruto had put his arm around her. He couldn't have known the affect this would have on her, so it was no surprise he was startled when Sakura snugged deeper into his arms. She needed this, to feel cared for. _Now however_, she reminded herself,_ is not the time to think such thoughts. Now is the time to be strong!_

"We can do this!" Naruto whispered suddenly. Sakura smiled.

"Yes we can!" She replied.


End file.
